Baby You Can Drive My BMW Cruise Bike

TORONTO, May 4, 2009 – In its continued quest to provide guests with a healthy environment to stay fit and maintain a balanced lifestyle, Fairmont Hotels & Resorts has announced an extension of its partnership with German automaker BMW to include a complimentary hotel bicycle service featuring BMW Cruise Bikes. Beginning Spring 2009, Fairmont hotels across Canada will introduce these state-of-the-art bikes as the newest benefit for guests, granting active and adventurous travelers the opportunity to explore the vibrant cities and stunning landscapes of Fairmont’s distinctive locales.* In addition to offering a selection of BMW Cruise Bikes, hotels will also boast a variety of child-sized BMW bikes, allowing families to enjoy the great outdoors together.

The perfect companion for both busy urban streets and scenic trails, the BMW Cruise Bike promises a smooth ride on any surface, thanks to a distinctive design and a Suntour suspension system. A striking frame, achieved through hydro-forming manufacturing, an advanced process using high-pressure water to allow the walls of the tube to expand inside a mold and free the aluminum of any shape restrictions, complements other original features including an integrated brake routing system that enables riders to stop on a dime.

“BMW’s stylish Cruise Bikes will allow our guests even greater access to experience the destination and reinforce Fairmont’s reputation of providing guests with thoughtful services that make their travels more convenient, comfortable and memorable, ” said Brian Richardson, Fairmont’s Vice President, Brand Marketing & Communications. “We are delighted to work with such a well-respected partner to offer this unique service to our guests.”

With a diverse collection of iconic hotels and picturesque resorts throughout Canada, guests will have no trouble putting the bicycles to use in exploring the sundry sights and landscapes of Fairmont’s unrivalled destinations. The Fairmont Chateau Whistler offers unsurpassed biking trails, from paved paths to thrilling mountain descents, ideal for the athletic traveler, and for guests hoping to see some city sights, Fairmont Château Laurier is the perfect starting point before biking past Canada’s Parliament Buildings, or the area’s historic ByWard Market, where riders will find quaint cafes, boutiques and more.

“We are very pleased to offer Fairmont customers this unique experience,” said Tracy Bulmer, Accessories and Lifestyle Product Manager, BMW Group Canada. “The bike program will provide guests with an adventurous way to explore their surroundings while getting the ‘BMW Experience’ on a Cruise Bike.”

With a strong company-wide focus on health and wellness, the introduction of BMW Cruise Bikes acts as an extension of the company’s Fairmont Fit program. Offered to members of Fairmont President’s Club (FPC), the brand’s guest loyalty program, Fairmont Fit provides guests with easy access to adidas training gear during their stay, delivering exercise apparel and footwear directly to guestrooms for use in room, in the gym, or to enjoy outdoors. In addition, guests are provided with pre-loaded mp3 players, offering a wide-range of tracks and genres, to use during their workout. Afterwards, the training gear can simply be returned or purchased through the hotel’s guest services desk.

BMW offers a line-up of bicycles that offer performance with no fuel consumption or emissions. This is part of the company’s environmental strategy called Efficient Dynamic that incorporates a short, medium and long-term plan to improve driving dynamics while significantly lowering fuel consumption and emission levels. Since 1988, BMW Group Canada has voluntarily reduced fleet average fuel consumption of passenger cars by 25%, reducing carbon dioxide emissions commensurately.

The new benefit is one of many ways guests can tread lightly on the environment at Fairmont. As a pioneering leader on responsible tourism for close to twenty years, Fairmont offers a wide-range of eco-minded options for guests. At The Fairmont Royal York, guests can tour the hotel’s rooftop herb garden and newly introduced apiary featuring six beehives. Quebec’s Fairmont Le Chateau Montebello, in partnership with Environment Canada’s world-renowned Biosphere, offers kids a chance to get up close and personal with nature by way of daily educational sessions and outdoor adventures, while travelers to Fairmont Mayakoba can explore the area’s diverse eco-system of forest, mangrove and beach through Tatich (guide) led bike tours. Moreover, at a selection of Fairmont locales, including The Fairmont Copley Plaza, Boston and Fairmont Scottsdale, guests enjoy free parking when arriving in a Hybrid vehicle. For more on Fairmont’s award-winning environmental programming, please visit www.fairmont.com/environment.

As part of the new bicycle initiative, Fairmont is offering FPC members priority access when reserving the bikes. Free to join, Fairmont President’s Club provides guests with special benefits and privileges designed to reflect individual travel preferences and offer an enhanced level of service. Personalized travel profiles afford members customized stay experiences, while in-hotel benefits include private check-in, complimentary room upgrades, high-speed Internet access, and TaylorMade golf clubs at select locations. Guests can enroll at time of booking or online at www.fairmont.com/fpc.